\n Liberians voted Tuesday on whether to give football legend George Weah a second term as president, with peace among voters' top concerns in a nation still scarred by back-to-back civil wars.\n<\/p>\n
\n More than 2.4 million people were registered to vote in the West African nation, choosing their 73 representatives and 15 senators in addition to the president.\n<\/p>\n
\n Polling stations located at Nancy Doe Market in the capital Monrovia closed at 6:00 pm (1800 GMT), with counting beginning shortly after.\n<\/p>\n
\n Joseph Kollie, the president of one of the stations, praised the strong participation and peaceful vote.\n<\/p>\n
\n Even before polling stations opened in the morning, hundreds of people had gathered in the early morning sunshine waiting to vote in Monrovia.\n<\/p>\n
\n \"I vote for the good of my country. I expect peace and development,\" said Agostina Momo, 18, who was voting for the first time.\n<\/p>\n
\n \"I am confident because I have worked a lot and people have confidence in me\", Weah told AFP after casting his ballot in the Monrovia suburb of Paynesville.\n<\/p>\n
\n \"I hope to win in the first round.\"\n<\/p>\n
\n The main political parties had pledged that the presidential and legislative elections in the country of about five million will pass off peacefully.\n<\/p>\n
\n But the killing of three people last month in clashes between their supporters has fuelled fears of a return to violence.\n<\/p>\n
\n Scuffles also broke out Sunday as Weah held his final campaign rally, leaving several injured.\n<\/p>\n
\n The election is the first to be held since the United Nations ended its peacekeeping mission in Liberia in 2018.\n<\/p>\n
\n The mission was created after more than 250,000 people died in two civil wars between 1989 and 2003.\n<\/p>\n
\n Weah, 57, entered politics after a career as an international footballer which saw him become the first and only African to win football's most prestigious individual award, the Ballon d'Or, in 1995.\n<\/p>\n
\n On his election in 2017, he promised to create jobs and invest in education, but critics say he has failed to keep his pledges.\n<\/p>\n
\n As president, Weah has not set up a war crimes tribunal despite international and domestic demand.\n<\/p>\n
\n He is the favourite against 19 rivals for the presidency but could face a second-round runoff in early November unless a candidate secures an unlikely absolute majority in the first round.\n<\/p>\n
\n The European Union, the African Union, the West African bloc ECOWAS and the United States have deployed observers, in a region hit by a string of recent coups.\n<\/p>\n
\n - 'Cherish peace' -\n<\/p>\n
\n The electoral commission wasdue to begin publishing results from Wednesday, with final results due within 15 days.\n<\/p>\n
\n Weah grew up in the slums of Monrovia and is popular with young people, in a country where over 60 percent of the population is aged under 25.\n<\/p>\n
\n He was absent from Liberia during the conflict years, playing for a string of top-flight international clubs, including Paris Saint-Germain and AC Milan.\n<\/p>\n
\n \"We want him six more years. He maintained the peace, built roads, paid school fees. He's a great leader,\" said Theresa Sneh, 48.\n<\/p>\n
\n The ex-star striker has defended his record on the economy, the building of schools and hospitals and wider access to electricity.\n<\/p>\n
\n He has promised new roads, jobs and to continue the fight against corruption.\n<\/p>\n
\n \"We must all cherish this peace and continue to preserve it, because without peace, our world will be difficult,\" Weah told thousands of people gathered in Monrovia Sunday.\n<\/p>\n
\n \"Without peace, development will not take place.\"\n<\/p>\n
\n - 'Young are suffering' -\n<\/p>\n
\n Joseph Kamara, 24, who transports passengers on his motorised three-wheeler, feels Weah has done nothing for him, however.\n<\/p>\n
\n \"Young people are suffering. They are taking drugs,\" he said.\n<\/p>\n
\n He said he voted for Weah six years ago but will vote for his main rival, Joseph Boakai, this time.\n<\/p>\n
\n Former vice president Boakai, who lost to Weah in 2017, has said that any vote cheating or manipulation will lead to \"the end of this country\".\n<\/p>\n
\n The 78-year-old has forged alliances including with former warlord and senator Prince Johnson, who has threatened a popular revolt if the ruling party manipulates the elections.\n<\/p>\n
\n Boakai has pledged to restore the country's image, develop infrastructure and improve life for the poorest.\n<\/p>\n
\n More than a fifth of the population lives on less than $2.15 a day, according to the World Bank, and the price of staple foods has soared.\n<\/p>\n
\n The United States has sanctioned five senior Liberian officials for alleged corruption in three years.\n<\/p>\n
\n The watchdog Transparency International ranked Liberia 142nd of 180 countries in its 2022 corruption perceptions index.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"
Liberians voted Tuesday on whether to give football legend George Weah a second term as president, with peace among voters' top concerns in a nation still scarred by back-to-back civil wars. More than 2.4 million people were registered to vote in the West African nation, choosing their 73 representatives and 15 senators in addition to […]<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":60,"featured_media":0,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"closed","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"_acf_changed":false,"footnotes":""},"categories":[553],"tags":[],"ji_location":[],"class_list":["post-122975","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","hentry","category-live-feed"],"acf":[],"yoast_head":"\n